Somatized depression is mental illnessaccompanied by depressed mood and apathy towards the world around.
The main feature of this condition is considered the probability of the hidden course of the disease. In some cases, signs of such depression ignored throughout life.
To establish an accurate diagnosis can only be a specialist. Despite the risk of developing in a latent form somatized depression must be treated. Otherwise, the consequences can disrupt the health of the whole organism.
The concept and characteristics
Somatized depression, being a mental disorder, manifests itself in the form of a combination of depressed mood with somatic deviations.
This feature becomes cause of difficulties in its diagnosis.
Patients go to doctors with complaints of pain of different localization, malfunction of the internal systems and other problems not related to the state of the psyche.
The treatment of identified diseases gives a temporary effect. After eliminating some pathologies, new deviations in the functioning of the organism appear.
Special features somatized depression:
- This type of depressive state may for a long time develop in a latent form and be masked by somatic deviations in the body’s work.
- The development of depression is accompanied by the patient's confidence in the progression of certain diseases (somatic deviations in most cases remain unspecified).
Causes of
A special place among the factors that can provoke somatic depression, occupy certain character traits person
The risk group includes people with excessive sensitivity of the psyche.
Symptoms of this type of depression are quite often diagnosed in patients whose psyche is exposed regular negative effects.
If a person is experiencing excessively due to the occurrence of specific situations, then gradually not only mental, but also somatic deviations occur in his body.
Provoke somatic depression The following factors may:
- suspiciousness and excessive impressionability as character traits;
- constant exposure to stressful situations;
- hormonal disruptions in the body of various etiologies;
- the progression of chronic autoimmune diseases;
- critical metabolic imbalance (of various etiologies);
- uncontrolled intake of potent drugs;
- lack of neurotransmitters in the body;
- the consequences of vascular pathologies of the brain;
- consequences of serious stressful factors.
Symptoms and signs
Somatized depression is manifested in the form of a constant feeling of anguish or anxiety, pessimism, and loss of interest in the world.
According to the patient, somatic abnormalities in the body become the cause of his depressed mood. Symptoms of such diseases come to the fore.
Patients with somatized depression clearly show deviations in the body’s work, but doctors cannot determine the cause of their appearance.
Symptoms of somatization depression may occur in the following conditions:
- tendency to frequent headaches;
- sudden onset of shortness of breath;
- sleep disturbance and tendency to insomnia;
- sharp changes in body weight;
- pain in the heart;
- regular pains of various locations;
- reduced physical and mental performance;
- emotional inhibition;
- disruption of the digestive system and stool;
- excessive irritability;
- violation of biological drives;
- excessive body fatigue;
- propensity for regular bouts of nausea;
- depressed mood;
- general body weakness and drowsiness;
- loss of interest in the world.
Masked form - features
The main feature of the masked somatized depression is the secrecy of the symptoms of mental disorder various somatic disabilities.
The patient's condition may resemble a disorder about the development of certain diseases in him.
Examinations from specialists do not reveal critical diseases, but a person complains about specific signs of diseases of internal organs.
Against the background of the development of somatized depression, the patient is experiencing severe stress.
His condition may worsen to a critical level, but it is not possible to find out the cause of pain or other somatic symptoms.
Somatized depression masks:
- psychopathic mask (accompanied by violation of the patient's behavior);
- algic-senesthopathic mask (pain symptoms predominate in the manifestation of depression);
- agripnic mask (the main manifestation of mental disorder is insomnia);
- drug mask (the patient has a tendency to alcoholism or drug addiction);
- vegetative-visceral mask (symptoms of depression, go with vegetative-vascular dystonia).
Complications and consequences
Somatisation depression can provoke complications that are dangerous for the patient's life.
First of all, constant anxieties about the state of your body and focusing on the symptoms of failures in its work become the cause of the real development of diseases.
For example, if a person is certain that he has heart disease then gradually they can occur on the background of mental disorder.
Depression is also becoming the most common cause of suicide.
The consequences somatized depression can become the following states:
- The development of additional mental disorders (panic attacks, phobias, neuroses, etc.).
- Malfunctions in the body, triggered by uncontrolled intake of medicines (patients begin to take their own drugs to treat the symptoms of existing somatic deviations).
- Decreased performance and deterioration of the general condition of the body (patients lose interest in the world and their own personality).
- The emergence of suicidal thoughts (the desire to commit suicide appears against the background of the thought about the presence of an incurable disease).
Diagnostics
The basis for diagnosing somatized depression is persisting for a long time. unspecified somatic abnormalities at the patient.
Human complaints do not correspond to the morphological changes in his body.
Symptoms of diseases is different seasonal or periodic manifestation.
If there are no objective symptoms of somatic abnormalities, and after taking antidepressants, the patient feels relief of his condition, then the fact of the presence of somatized depression is almost confirmed. To confirm the diagnosis are carried out additional testing.
The following are used in the diagnosis of somatic depression. techniques:
- Zung scale;
- Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale;
- Beck's Depression Questionnaire;
- screening tests.
Treatment
Somatisation depression is among the diseases that difficult to treat. Symptoms of such a mental disorder may persist throughout life.
To correct the condition of the emotional patient, specialists use drugs with a sedative effect and special psychotherapeutic techniques.
The risk of the lack of a result of treatment in this case is quite high.
The reason for the low efficiency Therapies are the causes of this type of depression (occurrence at the level of the subconscious and against the background of innate character traits).
Preparations
The list of medications necessary for the elimination of somatized depression includes not only drugs whose action is aimed at recovery of psycho-emotional state the patient, but also the means necessary to eliminate the cause of the mental disorder.
For example, if the provocative factor was a chronic disease, then consultation with a specialist is necessary to draw up a course of therapy.
Somatisation depression is corrected with the help of drugs from the category of antidepressants.
Drug examples for the treatment of somatisation depression:
- serotonin reuptake inhibitors (Trazodone, Venlafaxine);
- antidepressants of the new melatoninergic group (Agomelatine);
- medicinal herbs with a sedative effect (lemon balm, blue cyanosis, valerian);
- vitamin complexes (Apitonus P).
Psychotherapy
Psychotherapy is an essential step in the treatment of depressive conditions. Specific Techniques individually matched.
In most cases, the primary psychological assistance is in individual sessions with a psychologist or psychotherapist.
Further treatment will depend on the tendency to recovery. Good results possesses the method of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapy.
Practical recommendations
In most cases, the diagnosis of somatized depression make it difficult for patients themselves.
If symptoms of various diseases occur, they try to cure them on their own or to achieve a specific diagnosis from a specialist.
In the absence of survey results, a person becomes anxious about the state of his body. To psychotherapists in the presence of such signs only patient units are treated.
Practical recommendations:
- If somatic abnormalities occur that do not correspond to the morphological state of the organism, it is necessary to contact a psychotherapist.
- Do not take potent drugs without the appointment of a specialist.
- Depression is a mental disorder and involves therapy aimed at correcting the psycho-emotional state (some procedures can be performed at home).
- To eliminate the symptoms of depression, you need to try to increase self-esteem, find creative activities that will distract from the problem, and also try not to focus attention on the negative signs of the existing disorder.
Prognosis and prevention
Predictions for somatic depression are ambiguous.
In psychotherapeutic practice, this type of disorder is considered one of the most intractable.
The result of therapy depends largely on the patient's desire to get rid of the disease.
If a person ignores the recommendations of a specialist, the forecasts will acquire negative feature. There are cases when somatized depression persists in a chronic form and manifests itself with regular relapses.
Prevention somatic depression is the following recommendations:
- You can not independently take drugs that have a negative impact on the psyche (psychotropic drugs, tranquilizers, uncontrolled intake of sedatives).
- In the event of chronic apathy and loss of interest in life, it is imperative that you seek advice from a psychotherapist.
- Special trainings that can be carried out independently (setting specific goals and drawing up a plan for their implementation, praising oneself for success, etc.) have good effectiveness in preventing depression.
- It is necessary to focus attention not on the negative, but on the positive aspects in life (it is important to learn how to rejoice at even insignificant events).
The main danger of somatisation depression lies in the patient's confidence that he has various diseases.
Attempts to self-heal them and constant thoughts about the incurability of ailments aggravate the situation. The effects of depression become life threatening. In the absence of timely treatment, there is a risk of death of the patient.
